Transcript CHAPTER 2 Political Theory and Political Beliefs

Chap 10, pp. 298-304 only
Radical Political Islam
pp. 298-304
th
20
Century Pan Arab Nationalism
• Pan Arab Nationalist Regimes – Drew on western
secularism & western modernity
– “Nasserism” (1952-1970) – Pan-Arab nationalist movement
by Gemal Abdul Nasser in Egypt
– “Ba’athism” – Arab nationalist type regimes (influenced in
part by western secularism & socialism)
• Iraq (1968 - 2003)
• Syria (1966 - Present)
– Pro-western hereditary monarchies
• Iran under the Shah of Iran (1965 – 1979)
• Contemporary Examples: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan
• Radical Political Islam – Arose in Opposition to the Above
Sayyid Qutb (1906-1966) and Muslim
Counter-Enlightenment
• Egyptian exile who criticized King Faruq’s proWestern stance
• Articulated a strong ideological reaction against
Western modernity
• Became important intellectual leader of the
Muslim Brotherhood
• Qutb rejected Nasser’s secularist pan-Arab project
Sayyid Qutb and Muslim CounterEnlightenment
• Radical Islamic movements reject the western
Enlightenment tradition, especially the focus on
secularism and “individual autonomy”
• Radical Islam seeks a return to a more pure form
of Islam, not tainted by secularism and modernity
• Radical Islam -- opposed to:
– Western modernity
– Muslims who endorse the incorporation of Western
modernity
Qutb and Radical Islam
• Provided essential parts of the ideological
foundation of Radical Islam
• Under radical Islam, Jihad no longer an inner
struggle to follow the Qu’ran
– Jihad becomes an outwards struggle or holy war
against modernity, secularism, capitalism, gender
equality, etc.
• Westernized Muslims - “false consciousness”
• Liberalism: sovereignty of the individual;
• Socialism: sovereignty of the proletariat;
• Radical Islam: sovereignty of Allah